Dr. J. Mitchell LockhartAssociate Professor of Biology

Valdosta State Universityjmlockha@valdosta.edu

Bio-Chem Building Room 2029, Phone – 333-5767Background

B.A., 1989, Hendrix College, Conway, ArkansasM.S., 1992, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Ph.D., 1996, University of Georgia, Athens, GeorgiaPost. Doc., 1996-1998 – Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife

Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia

Current Courses TaughtBIOL2010 – Unifying Principles of BiologyBIOL2270 – General ZoologyBIOL2651 – Anatomy and Physiology IBIOL2652 – Anatomy and Physiology IIBIOL4300 – Comparative Vertebrate AnatomyBIOL4950 – Directed Study

Research InterestsWildlife Disease Epizootiology and

Vector-Borne Disease Ecology

External Research CollaboratorsMoody Air Force Base, Valdosta, GeorgiaWarnell School of Forest Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, GeorgiaAuburn University, Auburn, AlabamaJones Ecological Research Center, Newton, GeorgiaTall Timbers Research Station, Leon County, FloridaCollege of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FloridaDepartment of Comparative Pathology, The University of Miami, Miami, FloridaNational Veterinary Services Laboratories, Ames, Iowa

Current Research Projects

Projects include: 1. Upper Respiratory Tract Disease Analysis2. Plasma Chemistry Analysis 3. Demography Studies4. Salmonella Studies5. Population Genetic Analysis

Projects include: 1. Canine Distemper Virus Analysis2. Trypanosoma cruzi Analysis 3. Ehrlichia and Anaplasma Studies4. Macracanthorhynchus ingens studies5. Gnathostoma procyonis studies6. Toxoplasma gondii studies7. West Nile Virus studies

Projects include: 1. Canine Distemper Virus Analysis2. Trypanosoma cruzi Analysis 3. Feline Leukemia Virus Studies4. Toxoplasma gondii Studies

Projects include: 1. Heartworm Analysis2. Toxoplasma gondii Studies

Graduate Student(s)Dallas Ingram, B.S., University of Georgia

Thesis Topic: Wild Turkey Disease Surveillance in Association With Emerging Poultry

Industry in South Georgia.

Student GroupsFaculty Sponsor for Alpha Epsilon

Delta Pre-Medical Professions Honor Society, 1999-current

Projects include: 1. Trypanosoma cruzi Analysis 2. Ehrlichia and Anaplasma Studies3. Neospora caninum studies4. Toxoplasma gondii studies

Projects include: 1. Ehrlichia and Anaplasma Studies2. Abomasal Parasite Studies

Projects include: 1. Parasite Survey

Projects include: 1. Trypanosoma cruzi Analysis

Recent Directed Study Projects1. Laura Sesto, Art Department, “Wildlife Anatomy”, Fall Semester, 2005.2. Christopher Powell, Biology Department, “Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, and Borrelia in Mammals”,

Spring semester, 2005. 3. David Mederos, Biology Department, “Gopher Tortoise Genetics”, Fall semester, 2004.4. Krista Cox, Biology Department, “Canine Distemper Virus in Mesomammals”, Fall

semester, 2004.5. Jessica Gillis, Biology Department, “Trypanosoma cruzi in Opossums” Fall semester,

2004. 6. Berrien Waters, Biology Department, “Trypanosoma cruzi in Raccoons”, Summer

semester, 2004.

Projects include: 1. Wild Turkey Disease Surveillance in

Association with Emerging Poultry Industry in South Georgia.

Recent Publications 1. Yabsley, M.J., V.G. Dugan, D.E. Stallknecht, S.E. Little, J.M. Lockhart, J.E. Dawson, and W.R. Davidson. 2003. Evaluation of a prototype Ehrlichia chaffeensis surveillance system using white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) as natural sentinels. Vector- Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 3:195-207. 2. Davidson, W.R., J.M. Lockhart, D.E. Stallknecht, E.W. Howerth, J.E. Dawson, and Y.Richaev. 2001. Persistent Ehrlichia chaffeensis infection in white-tailed deer. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 37:538-546.

Recent Presentations 1. Cox, K.A., and J.M. Lockhart. 2005. Canine distemper virus in southwest Georgia raccoons. Eighty First Annual Meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science. Gordon College, Barnesville, Georgia. April 1-2, 2005. 2. Waters, B., and J.M. Lockhart. 2005. Trypanosoma cruzi in southwest Georgia raccoons. Eighty First Annual Meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science. Gordon College, Barnesville, Georgia. April 1-2, 2005. 3. Gillis, J.L., and J.M. Lockhart. 2005. Trypanosoma cruzi in southwest Georgia opossums. Eighty First Annual Meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science. Gordon College, Barnesville, Georgia. April 1-2, 2005. 4. Mederos, D.I., J.F. Elder, G. Lee, and J.M. Lockhart. 2005. Population genetics of gopher tortoises at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Eighty First Annual Meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science. Gordon College, Barnesville, Georgia. April 1-2, 2005. 5. Lockhart, J.M. 2004. Initial disease studies of mesomammalian predators of bobwhite-quail. Annual Fall Meeting of the Georgia Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Flinchum’s Phoenix, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. September 14-15, 2004. 6. Partin, C.N., J. M. Lockhart, and J. Wedincamp, Jr (presenter). 2003. Survey of the ectoparasites of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in southeastern Georgia. Eightieth Annual Meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science. Reinhardt College, Waleska, Georgia, March 21-22, 2003. 7. During, R., A. Howard, J.M. Lockhart, and A.A. Johnson. 2002. Mermithid nematode genetic analysis. Seventy-ninth Annual Meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science. Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, Georgia, March 22-23, 2002. 8. Lockhart, J.M., G. Lee, M.D. Brown, N.P. Barber. 2001. Studies of gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) at a south Georgia military installation. Twenty-third annual meeting of the Gopher Tortoise Council, The University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, October 26-27, 2001.